Men's pant cuff

A brief history of the men's pant cuff through the times.

Edward VII is the credited creator of the cuffed trousers in the 1890s. Out of practicality, he folded up his pants to protect them from mud while in the country; men took notice and began to turn up their pant legs shortly after. The cuff became popular among daring, trendsetting men in America during the 20’s and 30’s. At this time the cuff was seen as classy, and became a perfect addition to a man’s slick attire when going to jazz clubs. When World War II hit, the fold quickly made an exit due to fabric rationing in the late 30’s. It was viewed as an unnecessary part of trousers during the war.

Cuffed jeans reappeared in the 50’s and became popularized by rebel movie star Marlon Brando. Brando began folding his pants up higher to reveal his motorcycle boots. Rockabilly crazed teens followed the Brando style and viewed this fold as a sign of rebellion against mainstream fashion.

In 1983, British music group Wham! (also known as Wham! UK in the United States) released their music video of Wham! Rap (Enjoy What You Do) displaying band members George Michael and Andrew Ridgley in their slim fit, high-waist, cuffed jeans. Wham! Sent a revolutionary and rebellious message to teens, urging them live to the fullest, and not worry about the future or a job. With the appearance of the cuff in their music video, Wham! birthed a following of anti-conventionalist teens with their pants turned up.

In 2006, Thom Browne attempted to revive the cuff, but the fold seemed to be unnecessary and wasn’t really accepted by the masses. Somewhere between 2006 and 2008, designers such as Marc Jacobs and Dsquared started to incorporate the cuff into their lines and people started to take notice.

In both 2009 and 2010 designers begin rolling out the cuff on the runways, both in their Fall and Spring men’s collections. The trend made a huge resurgence in 2010 with many devoted followers including Ed Westwick and The Sartorialist’s Scott Schuman. The New York Times also did a story on the trend in 2010.

References

Benck, Peter; Centeno, Antonio; Real Style, Real Men. Dress Pants: Cuffs or No Cuffs:The importance of cuffs for suit pants and odd trousers [Internet]. Version 6. Knol. 2011 Feb 21. Available from: http://knol.google.com/k/peter-benck/dress-pants-cuffs-or-no-cuffs/xf5y9nij0b11/10.

Wilson, E. (2010). The art of the pant rolls. New York Times, Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/15/fashion/15ROW.html

Lowell, L. (2006). The great depression and wwii review. Retrieved from http://www.cfa.ilstu.edu/lmlowel/THE334/1930SandWWII/1930s&WWIIWomenReview.htm